Drescher, best known for her work on TV's "The Nanny" — which lives on in syndication — will play Morgan le Fey in the semi-staged performances of Lerner & Loewe's Camelot in May. Directed by Lonny Price (A Class Act, 110 in the Shade), the musical will play Avery Fisher Hall May 7-8 at 7:30 PM, May 9 at 8 PM and May 10 at 2 and 8 PM. Thomas Z. Shepard will produce the limited engagement, and Paul Gemignani will conduct the famed orchestra.
Drescher joins a cast that includes the previously announced Gabriel Byrne as King Arthur, Marin Mazzie as Guenevere, Christopher Lloyd as Pellinore, Marc Kudisch as Lionel, Christopher Sieber as Dinadan, Will Swenson as Sagramore, Nathan Gunn as Lancelot and Bobby Steggert as Mordred.
PBS' Live from Lincoln Center series will broadcast the May 8 performance, which is scheduled to begin at 8 PM ET.
In Camelot, according to press notes, "idealistic King Arthur longs to create a perfectly principled kingdom, but sees his dream undone by a tragic love triangle involving Queen Guenevere and his best friend Lancelot. In this thoroughly engaging production, the medieval monarch's vision — a place where 'violence is not strength, and compassion is not weakness' — speaks to our time and for all time."
Camelot — featuring music by Frederick Loewe and book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner — originally opened at Broadway's Majestic Theatre in Dec. 1960, playing 873 performances before closing Jan. 5, 1963. The premiere company included Richard Burton, Julie Andrews, Robert Goulet, Robert Coote, John Cullum and Roddy McDowall. The classic Lerner and Loewe score boasts such tunes as "If Ever I Would Leave You," "I Loved You Once in Silence," "Follow Me," "I Wonder What the King Is Doing Tonight" and the title tune. Tickets for Camelot, priced $65-$225, are available by visiting www.nyphil.org or by calling (212) 875-5656. The Avery Fisher Hall box office is located within Lincoln Center at Broadway at 65th Street.
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The May 7 performance, the New York Philharmonic's Spring Gala, includes a black-tie, pre-concert reception, the concert and a post-concert dinner with the artists. For information contact Eve Helfstein at [email protected] or (212) 875-5757.
